1986 Porsche 944 Paint Correction

[70 Cobrajet]

I have the opportunity to do some paint correction/detail on a 1986 Porsche 944. In talking with the owner and inspecting the paint, I do see some swirls on the hood that I would like to address plus add some clarity to the paint finish but overall the paint is in very good condition having great shine and depth. The owner thinks that the car was detailed prior to him purchasing it a few months ago.

The owner states this is original paint, which and if I am correct, is single stage paint.

My plan is to wash the vehicle first, Clay bar with Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay, then my next steps are where I am not sure which way to go.

For these 3 options, do I apply and remove by hand or can I use my PC with White, Gray or Red pads to apply the product and a micro fiber bonnet to remove the products? I always have worked on BC/CC vehicles in the past so a single stage is new to me.

Option # 1 – Use Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0 to address the swirls?

Option # 2 – Use Meguiar’s #9 Swirl Remover?

Option # 3 – Use McKee’s 37 jeweling wax?

For the last step, I am thinking on using Collinite 845 or Fuzion.

My concern is removing too much of the paint or worse, damaging it with the incorrect materials and process.

Thanks,
Mike

[brettS4]

Yes, the paint should be single stage. I don't think clear coats came along until around 1991. Single stage is a lot easier to work with than clear coats, IME. Just pay attention and do your test spot first.

I don't know how hard the paint is, but I doubt WG Finishing Glaze will have ability to do much. It's more of a second stage product. It might do the job if the paint is in really good condition, but there's a chance you'll get into it and find out the defects are just camouflaged with fillers from the previous detail. In which case you might need something slightly more aggressive. WG Uber would be a good choice. So I'd say get both. Use your PC and the least aggressive pad that gets results.

Do not remove any products with an MF bonnet. It's likely to marr the paint unless you're very careful and it's better to do by hand because you'll be looking at the results up close rather than breezing over them with the PC.

Having both Collinite 845 and Fuzion, I'd say Fuzion probably won't do a whole lot more than 845 and costs quite a bit more. It's designed to bring out metallic flake, which you don't have. I'd stick with 845.

[JKDesign]

The paint should be base coat/clear coat on that car. Do a test spot to be sure. But Porsche has been using base coat clear coat at least since the early 80's if not longer.

[brettS4]

Not according to this..

1986 single stage or 2 stage - Pelican Parts Technical BBS

"your 1986 porsche was a single stage color . from 1991 on porsche started to use on most of there solid color cars base clear system . whether its a B/C or single stage there is good and bad with eather . when your talking about the finish being durable in what way are you referring to it ? they will both chip and scratch just as ez . as for sun damage the single stage color will not hold up as good as a B/C finish . but with a single stage color if it does fade you can at times buff a shine back to it . were a B/C system once the finish dies thats it its time for a re paint . now i'm not saying you can't to some degree buff a damaged B/C finish back up . but when the clear yellows or starts to look bad thats it its done . as for doing spot repairs one is no easier than the other . its a matter of just knowing how to repair the deferent types of finishes . with B/C most sprayers (not painters) will blend out the color over the repair area and then clear the hole panel . were with a solid color you can just do a spot blend mid panel . now as i stated not painter . that comes down to whether the person is a sprayer or painter most shop now a days only hire sprayers and not painters . there paint skills are much lower as is the cost to imploy them . they can't match colors all that well and if the paint repair is not in the every day routine they are lost . they would tell you that a mid panel spot repair blend can't be done all that ez . on the down side of a mid panel solid color blend is that if some time down the road you want to buff up the finish you could buff the blend that was done . but the same could also be true on a B/C repaint on the roof of a 911 were if the painter did a clear coat blend down the A-pillers and around the rear glass . what i do in my shop is if the cars OE finish was single stage then thats what goes back on the car just as if the cars oe finish was B/C then thats the finish we will use for that . its ez to tell just what the finish is . all you do is take a piece of 1500 or 2000 grit paper dry and sand a little spot if its say a black car the sand paper will have black on it and if its a base clear then the paper will have white from the clear on it ."

But it's always best to confirm for yourself.

[Audios S6]

Porsche I've don't in that vintage are single stage. On the softer side

[70 Cobrajet]

BrettS4,

Thank you for the information. After doing a test spot to confirm the car is single stage, I will try the WG Uber to address the swirl marks starting with a Gray and if needed, move to a white pad. I really like using the Collinite 845 and have a large amount currently on hand, so I will use that applying and removing by hand.

When I complete this, I will update with my results.

regards,
Mike